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Baseball and softball will return for 2020 Olympics in Tokyo

Posted: 3:52 PM, Aug 03, 2016

Updated:2016-08-03 19:59:02Z

By:
Associated Press

Olympic leaders have approved the addition of five sports to the program of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, including the return of baseball-softball and the introduction of youth-oriented events such as skateboarding and surfing.

The International Olympic Committee voted Wednesday to accept the five-sport package, which also includes karate and sport climbing.

The five, which were proposed for inclusion last year by Tokyo organizers, were approved unanimously by the IOC members.

Under new IOC rules, local organizers can propose the inclusion of at least one additional sport for their games. Wednesday's approval was for the Tokyo Games only.

The new sports will add 18 events and 474 athletes to the program. The Tokyo Games will now feature 33 sports and about 11,000 athletes, compared to the usual number of 28 sports and 10,500 athletes.

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